Packaging a strip of material of varying width

ABSTRACT

A package of a continuous strip of material formed from a web comprises a plurality of parallel side by side strip elements separated by dividing lines. The dividing lines are formed such that the width of the strip elements varies along their length with the wider portions of one alongside the narrower portions of the next in a nesting action. The strips are packaged for storage and transport to an end use machine where the strip elements are withdrawn and cut into identical strip portions at spaced positions along the strip so that each strip portion includes a portion of minimum width and a portion of maximum width. The web including all the strip elements is formed into a block in which the web is fan folded back and forth such that each folded portion of the web is folded relative to the next portion about a line transverse to the strip. Each strip element is continuous through the block and is connected by a splice to the beginning of the next strip element. The strip has a varying width, for example, to form diaper inserts when the strip is cut into the individual strip portions. The dividing lines are formed by longitudinal slits separated by un-slit bridges so that the strip elements are held together in the block and are pulled apart only when unfolded.

[0001] This invention relates to a package of a strip material ofvarying width and to a method for manufacturing a composite articlewhich includes a portion of the strip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Strips of material are used in many end uses including but notlimited to the manufacture of diapers and other absorbent products. Thestrips are cut on the manufacturing line at longitudinally spacedtransverse cut lines to divide the strip into individual sheet elementseach used in the manufacture of a respective absorbent product.Generally these strips are also cut to provide different widths alongthe length of the strip for various reasons including for shaping of theproducts to better match the body of the user and for better aesthetics.Most current processes of this type die cut the elements from a singlestrip of the material having a width at least equal to the maximumrequired width and discard the waste at the sides formed by cutting awaythe side portions to the narrower scalloped width. Attempts are made torecycle the waste portions, generally by grinding and returning thematerials to the strip manufacturer. However, recent developments haveincreased the complexity of the materials thus increasing the cost andmaking recycling more difficult. There is therefore pressure to reducethe amount of waste.

[0003] Previously, packages of a continuous strip of material have beenformed using a technique known as “festooning” in which the strip isfolded back and forth to lay a series of strip portions back and forthwith each portion being folded relative to the next about a linetransverse to the strip. The technique of festooning has been availablefor many years and is used in packaging many different types ofmaterials but particularly material of a fibrous nature such as fabric,non-woven strips and the like. In this technique, the strip isconventionally guided into a receptacle such as a cardboard box while afirst reciprocating movement causes portions of the strip to be laidacross the receptacle and folded back and forth and a secondreciprocating movement causes the positions of the portions to betraversed relative to the receptacle transversely to the portions.Normally the receptacle comprises a rigid rectangular container at leastpartly of cardboard having a base and four upstanding sides.

[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,905, issued Oct. 19, 1999 to O'Connor etal., is disclosed an arrangement for packaging a strip in which thepackage is formed from a plurality of side by side stacks eachcontaining one fan folded length of the strip, where the bottom end ofeach stack is connected by a splice portion to the top end of the nextadjacent stack so that the strip is continuous through the package.

[0005] This arrangement has achieved significant commercial success andprovides a structure which can supply at high speed a continuous lengthof strip to an end use machine such as a converting line formanufacturing diapers or feminine hygiene products. However, other enduses of the strip can also be provided.

[0006] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,926, issued Sep. 28, 1999 to O'Connor etal., is disclosed an arrangement in which the side by side stacks areformed by cutting with a plurality of side by side band saws, where theband saws are traversed from side to side as they move forwardly in thecutting action thus producing separated strips which vary in width alongtheir length.

[0007] In PCT International application WO 01/02143 published Jan. 11,2001 is disclosed by Eberle a package of the same construction asproposed by O O'Connor, however the strips are separated in a mannerwhich leaves small bridging sections periodically along the length ofthe slit line so as to hold the strip elements side by side during thefolding and stacking process, instead of being completely slit so thateach strip is wholly separated from the next.

[0008] In German application 19918765.7 is provided further disclosureof the package structure of Eberle (assigned to Gevas) includingparticularly the arrangement of the spliced connecting portions at theend of the package.

[0009] In German published Utility Model 298 23 580.3 by Eberle(assigned to Gevas) is also disclosed some detail of the foldingarrangement by which the web with the partially slit strip elements isfolded into the fan folded stack. However, in all of these cases, thedividing lines between the strips are straight and parallel and equallyspaced so that the strip is of constant width with parallel side edgesthroughout its length.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to providean improved package structure of a strip of material for cuttingtransversely of the sheet into a plurality of separate sheet elementsarranged end to end.

[0011] It is a further object to provide an improved method ofmanufacturing composite articles in which an element of the article iscut from a continuous strip in which the amount of material used informing a plurality of the strips side by side is reduced for improvedefficiency.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided apackage of strip material comprising:

[0013] a web of a sheet material;

[0014] the web being fan folded so as to define a stack of web portionswherein each web portion is folded relative to one next adjacent foldedweb portion about a first fold line transverse to the web and relativeto a second next adjacent folded web portion about a second fold linetransverse to the web and spaced longitudinally of the web from thefirst fold line;

[0015] the web being divided longitudinally into a plurality of side byside strip elements by longitudinally extending transversely spaceddividing lines, the dividing lines each being formed by a series of tearlines in the web, each lying along the respective dividing line and eachlongitudinally spaced from the next by a bridge portion of the dividingline at which the web is intact;

[0016] the dividing lines being arranged such that each strip element islongitudinally continuous through the length of the folded web and suchthat each strip element can be unfolded in turn by pulling the stripelement and separating it from a remaining part of the folded web bybreaking the bridge portions;

[0017] the dividing lines being arranged to diverge from a parallelstraight condition such that each strip element varies in width alongthe length of the strip element.

[0018] In this arrangement, the fold lines of all the strip elements liein a common plane at the end of the stack and the stack is stable andgenerally rectangular so as to avoid damage to strip edges or strippieces by forces on non planar portions of the block.

[0019] The term “web” defines a layer of the sheet material which has awidth sufficient to define a plurality of the strip elements side byside, and may or may not have side edges which are straight and parallelas described in more detail hereinafter.

[0020] Preferably, the dividing lines are arranged such that adjacentpairs of the dividing lines diverge from the straight condition inopposite directions to define portions of minimum width and portions ofmaximum width of each strip element. However, other shapes of the stripare possible.

[0021] Preferably, the dividing lines are arranged such that the stripelements are identical to each other and the fold lines are arranged ata location along the length of the strip elements such that the portionsof maximum width overlie one another and the portions of minimum widthoverlie one another within the stack of web portions and such that thestrip elements are longitudinally offset such that the portions ofmaximum width of one strip element are nested with portions of minimumwidth of the next strip element throughout the stack of web portions.

[0022] Preferably, the web has straight side edges such that the foldedweb portions define a rectangular block with the side edges of the webportions lying in two common planes, thus defining two edge elementseach having one side edge defined by an edge of the web and an opposedside edge defined by one of said dividing lines. The edge elements aremaintained as narrow as possible and may be continuous as a strip whichis withdrawn as waste. The edge strip elements can be withdrawn duringthe step of forming the dividing lines by pulling away the edge stripsas trim waste or can be withdrawn when the package is complete. In bothcases, the package can be wrapped after the edge strips have beenremoved, particularly if the amount of variation in the width of thestrip is relatively small. Alternatively, the edge elements can beretained in place during transportation so that the side edges of theblock are parallel and planar to protect the strip edges. The edge stripportions can be removed by unfolding or can be pulled away as a thinblock or slice in one piece. If the edge elements are reduced to minimumwidth, they may be formed as individual pieces only at the locationsbetween positions of maximum width of the next adjacent strip elementwith those positions of maximum width of the next strip element reachingto the edge of the web to minimize waste.

[0023] In a yet further arrangement, the shaping of the strips can bedesigned so that the edge strip elements with one straight side edge andone variable side edge can also be used as a supply strip for use in theend product, thus further reducing waste. The shaping of the strips maybe designed to allow the strips to be cut, for example, to form legopenings in diapers, or may be used to allow the shaping of tailoredtarget zones such as acquisition layers.

[0024] Preferably, the rectangular block is contained within a packagingmaterial such as a bag or wrapping of a vacuum or shrink wraparrangement which applies pressure against the side edges of the webportions.

[0025] Preferably, the bridge portions are arranged such that each ofthe portions of minimum width and each of the portions of maximum widthof each strip element are connected to the next adjacent strip elementby at least one, and more preferably two, bridge portions.

[0026] Preferably, an end connecting portion of each strip element isconnected to an end connecting portion of a next adjacent strip portionso as to form a strip that is continuous along its length through thepackage.

[0027] Preferably, the block is substantially upright with a bottom anda top, two sides parallel to the edges of the strips of the stacks, andtwo ends containing the fold lines of the stacks; and wherein the endconnecting portion of the bottom of each strip element is connected tothe end connecting portion of the top of a next adjacent strip elementto form the splice connecting portion which extends along one end of theblock.

[0028] Preferably, the package is compressed downwardly so as todecrease the height of the stacks from a rest height to a compressedheight; and wherein the package is engaged by packaging material whichmaintains the compression.

[0029] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided amethod of manufacturing a composite article containing a portion of astrip comprising:

[0030] providing a web of a sheet material;

[0031] forming longitudinally extending, transversely spaced dividinglines in the web by which the web is divided longitudinally into aplurality of side by side strip elements;

[0032] fan folding the web so as to define a stack of web portionswherein each web portion is folded relative to one next adjacent foldedweb portion about a first fold line transverse to the web and relativeto a second next adjacent folded web portion about a second fold linetransverse to the web and spaced longitudinally of the web from thefirst fold line;

[0033] forming the dividing lines each by a series of tear lines in theweb, each lying along the respective dividing line and eachlongitudinally spaced from the next by a bridge portion of the dividingline at which the web is intact;

[0034] arranging the dividing lines such that each strip element islongitudinally continuous through the length of the folded web and suchthat each strip element can be unfolded in turn by pulling the stripelement and separating it from a remaining part of the folded web bybreaking the bridge portions;

[0035] causing the dividing lines to diverge from a parallel straightcondition such that each strip element varies in width along the lengthof the strip element;

[0036] withdrawing each strip element from the package structure in turnat an assembly machine;

[0037] cutting the withdrawn strip elements at longitudinally spacedpositions into a series of identical strip portions;

[0038] and assembling each of the identical strip portions with othercomponents into a respective one of the composite articles.

[0039] It will be appreciated that the variations in width of the stripallow the strip portions to be tailored in width to follow thosevariations thus minimizing waste from the strip and maximizing thenumber of strips which can be cut from a web of predetermined width. Thestrip preferably has regions of greatest width and intervening regionsof narrowest width. The strip portions can be cut so that their ends areat the widest part in which case they become narrower at the centerbetween the ends, or so that their ends are at the narrowest part inwhich case they become wider at the center between the ends.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

[0041]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a package of a folded web accordingto the present invention with the web being divided into individualstrip elements at longitudinally extending dividing lines, the packagebeing shown prior to completion of splices connecting one strip elementto the next and with the flexible packaging material omitted forconvenience of illustration.

[0042]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a package similar to the package ofFIG. 1, with the flexible packaging material included and showing amodified shape of the dividing lines.

[0043]FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the package of FIG. 1 showing areduced number of strip elements for convenience of illustration andshowing the splice connections from each to the next.

[0044]FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of an apparatus and method forforming the package of FIG. 1.

[0045]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 4.

[0046]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale of thecutting roller for forming the dividing lines of the machine of FIG. 4showing the bridge elements which join each strip element to the next.

[0047]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the cutting roller and a portion ofthe web of FIG. 14.

[0048]FIG. 8 is a schematic side elevational view of a manufacturingline for cutting the strip into sheets.

[0049]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the line of FIG. 8 where the stripportions or sheets are cut from the strip at the narrowest part.

[0050]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a part only of FIG. 8 where thestrip portions or sheets are cut from the strip at the widest part.

[0051] In the drawings, like characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, one embodiment of package comprisesa generally rectangular body or block 10 formed from a fan folded web 12divided into a plurality of side by side strips 11 at dividing lines 13.The web is formed of a material to be packaged. Generally, this materialwill be of a fibrous nature, formed by woven or non-woven material,although this is not essential to the package structure. Many materialsof various thicknesses can be packaged using the festooning technique,provided they can accept the creasing necessary at the end of eachportion. The web is fan folded so that each web portion is foldedrelative to one next adjacent folded web portion about a first fold linetransverse to the web and relative to a second next adjacent folded webportion about a second fold line transverse to the web and spacedlongitudinally of the web from the first fold line.

[0053] The package body is formed of the web 12 defining the pluralityof side by side stacks of the strip 11 where each stack comprises aplurality of folded strip portions of the strip which are laid on top ofone another. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the web is folded back and forthat respective end fold lines 25 and 26 so that the fold lines lie in acommon vertical plane defining the ends 15 and 16 of the stack. Eachportion of the web lies directly on top of the previous portion so thatside edges 27 and 28 of the portions of the web define a first set oflines in a common plane at right angles to the web portions whichcontain all the side edges 27 of the stack, and, similarly, the sideedges 28 of the web of the stack of the web define a second set of linesin the common plane at right angles to the web portions which containall the side edges 28 of the stack.

[0054] Thus, the package is formed by stacking the portions each on topof the next from a bottom end portion 29 up to a top end portion 30 toform the stack. The package is thus formed from the plurality of side byside stacks 20, 21, 22, 23 of the side by side strips divided from theweb 12. Each of the stacks has a length equal to that of the otherstacks and therefore equal to that of the package. The stacks are formedup to a common height which is therefore equal to the height of thepackage.

[0055] The package 10 is thus formed from a plurality of individualstacks of the strip arranged side by side. In FIG. 1, there are showneleven such stacks, whereas in FIG. 3, for convenience of illustration,there are shown four such stacks arranged side by side forming acomplete package structure defined by the folded web. Each stack isformed from a folded strip which is continuous through the stack. Eachstack has a top end portion 30, a bottom end portion 29, two ends 15 and16 which are opposed, and two sides which are opposed.

[0056] It will of course be appreciated that the dimensions of thepackage can be varied according to the requirements so that the numberof stacks can be increased or decreased, the length and height of eachstack can be varied to increase the number of folded strip portions andto increase the length of the folded strip portions.

[0057] As best shown in FIG. 2 in the plan view of the strips, thestrips of each stack are folded back and forth from the fold lines 25 tothe fold lines 26 to form a folded strip portion having a length equalto the distance between the fold lines.

[0058] As described hereinafter, the strips are divided each from thenext in the web by the dividing lines 13 so that they have a varyingwidth between the side edges of the strip. In the example shown, thestrips are of a simple form in which the width varies periodicallybetween narrow sections 32 and wider sections 33. More complex widthvariations can be employed in other examples. The variation can becurvilinear as shown in FIG. 2 or may include straight line sections atthe widest and narrowest parts as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 with inclinedparts of the dividing lines in between the widest and narrowest parts.

[0059] The dividing lines are each formed as described hereinafter by ablade which presses against an anvil roller. The blade has continuousblade elements separated by cut-outs. The blade elements act with theanvil roller to crush or cut the material and at the cut outs thematerial remains uncrushed or uncut or intact. Depending upon the typeof material, the blades may actually cut the material or may crush thematerial while leaving it unbroken or un-slit, thus forming a line ofweakness at which the material can readily tear. Thus, in effect, theblades form a series of tear lines in the web, each tear line lyingalong the respective dividing line and each longitudinally spaced fromthe next by a bridge portion of the dividing line at which the web isintact.

[0060] The dividing lines are arranged such that each strip element islongitudinally continuous through the length of the folded web and suchthat each strip element can be unfolded in turn by pulling the stripelement and separating it from a remaining part of the folded web bybreaking the bridge portions.

[0061] In the example shown, the strip is intended for manufacturingdiapers or similar products which are formed each from a respectivesheet element cut from the length of the strip. Each sheet element inthe example shown has an intended cut line at the wider section 33 and asecond intended cut line 35 also at the wider section so that thenarrower section 32 is located between the intended cut lines.

[0062] It will be appreciated that in the package structure as shown, nocutting of the strips in the transverse direction has yet occurred andthe cut lines 34 and 35 are, in effect, imaginary lines. Their positioncan however be determined by the design of the sheet elements and theposition along the length of the strip which forms the beginning and endof the sheet elements. The sheet elements are, in effect, thus arrangedend to end so that each is separated from the next simply by cuttingalong the intended cut line.

[0063] It will be noted therefore from FIG. 2 that each folded stripportion of each of the package bodies is defined by an exact wholenumber of sheet elements. In the example shown, the number of sheetelements is three, but this of course can be varied from a minimum ofone up to a maximum which depends solely upon the maximum allowable sizeof the transportable package structure. In most cases, it is preferredthat the folded strip portion will contain more than one sheet elementsince the sheet elements are often of the order of six inches to twofeet in length and the required package structure will be generallysignificantly larger than this and certainly of the order of four feetin length.

[0064] In the example shown, the design of the wider and narrowerportions of the strip is arranged such that no waste is formed when theslitting action occurs and the wider portions match exactly with thenarrower portions of the next strip. However, it is possible in someexamples that there will not be an exact match between the widerportions of one strip and the narrower portions of the next adjacentstrip so that some waste pieces will be formed by cutting out of thestructure and discarding of those waste pieces.

[0065] Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the strip portions will nest eachexactly along side the next, with the narrower portions of one receivingthe wider portions of the next.

[0066] The fact that the folded strip portion contains a whole number ofthe sheet elements and the sheet elements are identical ensures that theside edges of the each folded strip portion lie directly on top of theside edges of the previously laid folded strip portions. This allows theindividual stacks to be unfolded in turn without any interleaving of thestrip portions of one stack within the strip portions of the nextadjacent stack which would prevent unfolding. As shown in the drawings,the strips throughout the height of the stack are exactly overlying.However, this requires an exact registration throughout the package ofthe length of the web portion as laid down between the fold lines withthe length of the strip portions times the number of strip portionsbetween the fold lines. However, this exact registration may bedifficult to achieve and any small divergence will not interfere withthe unfolding since that small divergence will not be enough to causeinterleaving between adjacent strip elements. However, the widest partsof the strip elements may not form an exact straight vertical line butmay be inclined as the slight divergence in the length between foldlines from the theoretically required length gradually shifts the widestpart along the strip elements as laid down.

[0067] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 it will be noted thatthe position of the fold lines relative to the sheet elements is of noimportance and it is possible to accept a fold line 35A at a positionalong the length of the sheet element different from the intended cutline 35. Thus, the fold lines are aligned but the sheet elements arelongitudinally offset.

[0068] The package is wrapped by a flexible packaging material,preferably of heat sealable non-permeable plastics, which encompassesthe whole of the package as indicated at 40 (not shown in FIG. 1). Thepackaging material forms a sealed package which allows air to beextracted from the package in a vacuum action which can be used withphysical compression D from the top and bottom of the package so as tocompress the package to a reduced height in a vacuum packaging system.The amount of compression can be determined so as to minimize the volumeof the package without interfering with the required loft of the productwhen withdrawn from the package. In this way, the package structureavoids the necessity for rigid sides of a box or similar container sothe package structure is stable due to the compression of the layers toreduce the height of the layers and due to the pressure of each layeragainst the sides of the next adjacent layers. In an alternativepackaging system, physical compression is combined with a heat shrinkmaterial in a bag which compresses and wraps the package. Top and bottomheaders can be used to prevent distortion of and damage to the package.

[0069] Compression of the package is only practical in the direction Dwhich is at right angles to the surfaces of the portions of the strip.This acts to compress the height of the stacks so that the thickness ofeach strip portion in the direction D is reduced by that compression.Compression along the portions or at right angles to the stacks is notpractical since this will act to distort the strip. Mechanicalcompression of the package in the direction D thus reduces the dimensionof the package in that direction allowing the air to be withdrawn fromthe flexible packaging material 40 causing the packaging material to bepulled down onto the package to maintain it in its compressed conditionand to apply pressures tending to hold the stacks in intimate contact.

[0070] The strip of each stack is connected to the next by a traverse orspliced portion of the strip which extends from one stack to the next soas to form a continuous strip through the full length of the package.The technique for connecting the strip of each stack to the next layeris shown and described in more detail in the above prior patent ofO'Connor and is shown in FIG. 3. Thus, four stacks 20, 21, 22 and 23 areshown. The strip of each stack is continuous from the top end portion 30to a bottom end portion 29. The connection is effected by a tail portion48 which extends from the bottom portion 47 beyond one end of the stack.The portion 48 extends along the end of the stack at 50 and includes atwist 51 with fold lines 52 and 53 to form a portion 54 extending alongthe end of the next adjacent stack. The portion 54 is connected by asplice 55 to the top portion 46 of the next adjacent stack.

[0071] Marking of the intended cut lines may be provided if required, asshown at applied by a marker 56. The markings can comprise an ink jetmarking, possibly in the form of a dot or square, visible both to theeye and to the machine or in some cases just to the machine. The markingmay or may not be located directly at the cut line depending upon thelocation of the machine reader relative to the cutting blade and in theexample shown, the marking is located in advance of the intended cutline. The marking may extend only across a short part of the width ofthe strip. It will be appreciated that as the markings are registeredwith respective ones of the cut lines, each marking is offset from itsassociated cut line by the same distance.

[0072] Turning now to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, there is shown schematicallythe unfolding and cutting line for using the strip and separating thestrip into the separate sheet elements and assembly of those sheetelements with other components into a composite article such as a diaperor feminine hygiene product. Thus, the package is indicated at 10 andthe strip 11 is withdrawn from the package over a guide member 80 fordirecting into an operating line 81. A cutting device 82 is operated bya control unit which receives registration information from a reader orsensor 84.

[0073] The reader of scanner 84 can be arranged to detect either themarkings applied to the strip prior to unfolding or the width of thestrip or the length of a strip portion so as to operate the cutter 82 atthe required location. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the reader 84detects the locations of maximum width and effects a cutting action atthe required location to separate the strip into the required pieces.

[0074] Yet further, the cutter 82 may be of a more complex arrangementso that instead of simply cutting a transverse line the cutter acts tocut out a portion of the strip in a required shape as indicatedschematically at 85 in FIGS. 9 and 85A in FIG. 10. The variable widthstrip allows a variable width portion to be cut out while minimizing thewaste on either side of the cut out portion 85, 85A. The ends of the cutout portion indicated at 86 and 87 in FIG. 9 can be located at thenarrowest part of the strip as shown in FIG. 9 or at the widest part asshown in FIG. 10. The transverse dividing line between the two sheetelements and, in some cases, the cut out lines 86 and 87, may be curvedso as to provide a curvature to the outer periphery of the cut outportion 85 which is bowed outwardly in FIG. 9 and bowed inwardly in FIG.10.

[0075] Thus the withdrawn strip element is cut at longitudinally spacedpositions into a series of identical strip portions each of which isassembled with other components into a respective one of the compositearticles. The strip elements are shaped cyclically by the dividing linesto define a series of cycles formed by a strip part of greatest widthfollowed by a strip part of least width and wherein each identical stripportion includes a single cycle. In FIG. 10, each identical stripportion is cut from the next at the part of greatest width. In FIG. 9,each identical strip portion is cut from the next at the part of leastwidth.

[0076] Downstream of the cutter 82, the cut sheet piece is fed into anassembly system indicated at 88 where the cut piece is assembled withother components to feed the finished products into a finished productline 89. These arrangements are shown only schematically since theconstruction of a diaper assembly line is well known to one skilled inthe art. Thus it will be appreciated that the cut sheet piece is oneportion only of a finished composite article where the composite articleis formed in individual separated pieces for sale and use independently.The cutter 82 may form part of the assembly line 88.

[0077] A package folding apparatus 59, shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7,includes a supply roll 59A. The apparatus passes the web from the supplyroll through nip rolls 59B and 59C and over a guide roller 58. Theapparatus includes a slitting roller 60 which, instead of forming acontinuous longitudinal slit line, forms lines which are formedpartially by slits leaving periodic bridge portions 61. Thus, as shownin FIG. 6, the roller 60 has a peripheral blade portion 63 with cutouts64 arranged at angularly spaced positions around the peripheral blade63. Thus, when the cutting blade 63 acts in cooperation with the anvilroller 62, it forms slits 65 separated by bridge portions 61 where noslitting action has occurred.

[0078] In practice, the cutouts 64 may have a width of the order of 0.2mm. The number of cut outs around the periphery of the cutting rollermay vary widely from only one in a circumference of 10 inches up to asmany as 20 in a circumference of 10 inches. The number depends upon thematerial in that the number is reduced where the material has sufficientstrength that a reduced number of bridges provides the necessaryinterconnection between the strip elements to hold those strip elementstogether during further processing.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 7, the blade 63 is shaped to define thediverging portions 66 and 67 either side of an imaginary center line 68so as to provide the wider and narrower sections of the strip elements.In the arrangement shown in FIG. 7, the wider and narrower divergingsections are shown using straight lines as opposed to the curvi-lineararrangement of FIG. 2. The shape of the divergence from the center linewill vary depending upon requirements so that the shape of the finishedstrip element is tailored to the shape of the end use sheet as requiredwhile minimizing the amount of waste material carried by the stripelement. The amount of divergence from the center line can also varysignificantly depending upon the end use.

[0080] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the folding system 59comprises a pair of drums 591 and 592 which carry mechanical grippers593 at angularly spaced positions around the drums. The drums have theiraxes generally parallel to the fold lines. The mechanical grippers 593are shown only schematically but act to grasp the material of the web atthe position of closest approach of the drums centrally between the foldlines of the package structure. The mechanical grippers alternatelygrasp the web fed from the roller 58 and carry that web around that oneof the rollers to which the web is attached as indicated at 594 thuscarrying the web to form the fold line 595. After that fold line isformed, the web is grasped by the other of the rollers and carried tothe stack of fold lines as indicated at 596.

[0081] The fact that the strip elements are still connected by thebridge portions ensures that the web as a whole folds as a web ratherthan as individual strip elements, thus allowing the web to be graspedmore easily and maintained without creases and without overlapping orinterleaving of the individual strip elements. The drums are arranged tocarry the web around approximately 1200 from the point of closestapproach to the discard position at the fold lines 595, 596.

[0082] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the cutting roller 60 forms a seriesof the dividing lines 69 at spaced positions across the web. Thedivergence from the center line 568 is arranged so that adjacent pairsof dividing lines 69 are in opposite phase so as to form nested widerand narrower portions of the strip elements as previously described. Atthe edges of the web, as indicated at 90 and 91, the adjacent dividingline 69 forms an edge strip portion 92, 93, respectively, which isdefined by the side edge 90, 91, respectively, on one side and by theadjacent dividing line 69 on the other side. The strip portions 92 and93 can be minimized in width but are preferably sufficiently wide sothat the dividing line does not intersect the side edge 90, 91 thusforming the edge strip portion as a continuous strip of varying width.Alternatively, the edge strip portions comprise a full width of a stripplus an edge portion with one straight side edge so that the edge stripportion is used as a continuation of the other strips but a little widerso that more is cut out from the edge strip portion at the die cutter82.

[0083] In the arrangement as shown, the edge strip portions 92 and 93are left in place when the packaging material is applied to wrap thestructure. The portions 92 and 93 thus define for the sides of the blockof the folded web planar side surfaces defined by the edge 90, 91 of theweb. This ensures that the edges of the first strip element adjacent theside edges are protected by those strip portions 92 and 93 and thecompression by the packaging does not damage the wider parts of thestrip elements by impact or compression.

[0084] The packaging material can be applied as a vacuum formed bag oras a heat shrink wrapping material. Other packaging materials may alsobe used, particularly bearing in mind that the structure is arectangular block defined by the planar sides 90 and 91 and by theplanar ends containing the fold lines 595, 596.

[0085] At the unwinding station shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the block 10 isunwound so that each strip element is unfolded and supplied to themachine as previously described. Prior to the first strip element beingfed from one side of the block, the adjacent side strip portion 92, 93is pulled away. This can be effected manually as a slab or block simplyby pulling the whole structure containing the folded strip portion downaway from the adjacent strip element. Alternatively, the waste stripportion 92, 93, can be stripped away from the adjacent strip element asit is fed and discharged into a suction removal device.

[0086] In some arrangements where the amount of width variation isrelatively small, the end strip portions 92 and 93 can be removed priorto folding in a vacuum trim remover or subsequent to folding by manuallypulling away.

[0087] It will be noted in the arrangements of FIG. 2 that the foldlines of the individual strip elements are arranged to occur at thecenter line and at the end of one portion of the strip element so thatthe structure is symmetrical and the wider portions of the stripelements directly overlie the wider portions of the underlying stripelements in the folding action. Thus, the side edges of the stripelements along their full length are directly overlying in the foldedcondition. This avoids any edge portions of the strip elements frombeing trapped between the folded portions of the strip element nextadjacent.

[0088] While the arrangements described above show a packaging systemfor the strip elements which acts to fold those strip elements in amanner which allows nesting of one folded stack relative to the next,alternative packaging systems may be developed for the strips of varyingwidth. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the particularpackaging methods set forth in the above description and shown in thedrawings. For example, such strips may be packaged using conventionalfestoon boxes, or may be packaged using other conventional techniques.

[0089] Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments ofsame made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departingfrom such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained inthe accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative onlyand not in a limiting sense.

1. A package of strip material comprising: a web of a sheet material;the web being fan folded so as to define a stack of web portions whereineach web portion is folded relative to one next adjacent folded webportion about a first fold line transverse to the web and relative to asecond next adjacent folded web portion about a second fold linetransverse to the web and spaced longitudinally of the web from thefirst fold line; the web being divided longitudinally into a pluralityof side by side strip elements by longitudinally extending transverselyspaced dividing lines; the dividing lines each being formed by a seriesof tear lines in the web, each lying along the respective dividing lineand each longitudinally spaced from the next by a bridge portion of thedividing line at which the web is intact; the dividing lines beingarranged such that each strip element is longitudinally continuousthrough the length of the folded web and such that each strip elementcan be unfolded in turn by pulling the strip element and separating itfrom a remaining part of the folded web by breaking the bridge portions;the dividing lines being arranged to diverge from a parallel straightcondition such that each strip element varies in width along the lengthof the strip element.
 2. The package according to claim 1 wherein thedividing lines are arranged such that adjacent pairs diverge from thestraight condition in opposite directions to define portions of minimumwidth and portions of maximum width of each strip element.
 3. Thepackage according to claim 2 wherein the bridge portions are arrangedsuch that each of the portions of minimum width and each of the portionsof maximum width of each strip element are connected by at least onebridge portion to the next adjacent strip element.
 4. The packageaccording to claim 2 wherein the bridge portions are arranged such thateach of the portions of minimum width and each of the portions ofmaximum width of each strip element are connected by at least two bridgeportions to the next adjacent strip element.
 5. The package according toclaim 2 wherein the dividing lines are arranged such that the stripelements are identical to each other and the fold lines are arranged ata location along the length of the strip elements such that the portionsof maximum width overlie one another and the portions of minimum widthoverlie one another within the stack of web portions and such that thestrip elements are longitudinally offset such that the portions ofmaximum width of one strip element are nested with portions of minimumwidth of the next strip element throughout the stack of web portions. 6.The package according to claim 1 wherein the web has straight side edgessuch that the folded web portions define a rectangular block with theside edges of the web portions lying in two common parallel planes, thusdefining edge elements each having one side edge defined by an edge ofthe web and an opposed side edge defined by one of said dividing lines.7. The package according to claim 6 wherein the rectangular block iscontained within a packaging material which applies pressure against theside edges of the web portions.
 8. The package according to claim 1wherein an end connecting portion of each strip element is connected bya splice connecting portion to an end connecting portion of anotherstrip element so as to form a strip that is continuous along its lengththrough the package.
 9. The package according to claim 8 wherein thestrip elements are stacked so as to stand generally upright and todefine ends of the stack at the fold lines and wherein the endconnecting portion of the bottom of each strip element is connected tothe end connecting portion of the top of another strip element to formthe splice connecting portion which extends along one end of the stack.10. The package according to claim 1 wherein the package is compresseddownwardly so as to decrease the height of the stack from a rest heightto a compressed height and wherein the stack of web portions is engagedby packaging material which maintains the compression and pressesagainst the sides of the web.
 11. A method of manufacturing a compositearticle containing a portion of a strip comprising: providing a web of asheet material; forming longitudinally extending, transversely spaceddividing lines in the web by which the web is divided longitudinallyinto a plurality of side by side strip elements; fan folding the web soas to define a stack of web portions wherein each web portion is foldedrelative to one next adjacent folded web portion about a first fold linetransverse to the web and relative to a second next adjacent folded webportion about a second fold line transverse to the web and spacedlongitudinally of the web from the first fold line; forming the dividinglines each by a series of tear lines in the web, each lying along therespective dividing line and each longitudinally spaced from the next bya bridge portion of the dividing line at which the web is intact;arranging the dividing lines such that each strip element islongitudinally continuous through the length of the folded web and suchthat each strip element can be unfolded in turn by pulling the stripelement and separating it from a remaining part of the folded web bybreaking the bridge portions; causing the dividing lines to diverge froma parallel straight condition such that each strip element varies inwidth along the length of the strip element; withdrawing each stripelement from the package structure in turn at an assembly machine;cutting the withdrawn strip elements at longitudinally spaced positionsinto a series of identical strip portions; and assembling each of theidentical strip portions with other components into a respective one ofthe composite articles.
 12. The method according to claim 11 wherein thedividing lines are arranged such that adjacent pairs diverge from thestraight condition in opposite directions to define portions of minimumwidth and portions of maximum width of each strip element and whereinthe strip elements are cut such that each strip portion includes aportion of minimum width and a portion of maximum width.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 12 wherein the dividing lines are arranged such thatthe strip elements are identical to each other and the fold lines arearranged at a location along the length of the strip elements such thatthe portions of maximum width overlie one another and the portions ofminimum width overlie one another within the stack of web portions andsuch that the strip elements are longitudinally offset such that theportions of maximum width of one strip element are nested with portionsof minimum width of the next strip element throughout the stack of webportions.
 14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the stripportions are cut from the strip elements so as to include a portion ofmaximum width and at each end thereof one half of a portion of minimumwidth.
 15. The method according to claim 12 wherein the strip portionsare cut from the strip elements so as to include a portion of minimumwidth and at each end thereof one half of a portion of maximum width.16. The method according to claim 11 wherein the dividing lines arearranged such that the web has straight side edges with the folded webportions defining a rectangular block and the side edges of the webportions lying in two common planes, thus defining edge elements eachhaving one side edge defined by an edge of the web and an opposed sideedge defined by one of said dividing lines and wherein the edge stripelements are removed prior to said withdrawing.
 17. The method accordingto claim 16 wherein the edge elements are removed while folded bybreaking them away from the block as a stack.
 18. The method accordingto claim 16 wherein the rectangular block is contained within apackaging material which applies pressure against the side edges of theweb portions and wherein the packaging material is removed prior to saidunfolding.
 19. The method according to claim 11 wherein the bridgeportions are arranged such that each of the portions of minimum widthand each of the portions of maximum width of each strip element areconnected by at least one bridge portion to the next adjacent stripelement.
 20. The method according to claim 11 wherein the bridgeportions are arranged such that each of the portions of minimum widthand each of the portions of maximum width of each strip element areconnected by at least two bridge portions to the next adjacent stripelement.
 21. The method according to 11 wherein an end connectingportion of each strip element is connected to an end connecting portionof another strip element so as to form a strip that is continuous alongits length through the package.
 22. The method according to claim 19wherein the strip elements are stacked so as to stand generally uprightand to define ends of the stack at the fold lines and wherein the endconnecting portion of the bottom of each strip element is connected tothe end connecting portion of the top of another strip element to formthe splice connecting portion which extends along one end of the stack.23. The method according to claim 11 wherein the package is compresseddownwardly so as to decrease the height of the stacks from a rest heightto a compressed height and wherein the package is engaged by packagingmaterial which maintains the compression and presses against the sidesof the web.
 24. A composite article manufactured by the method of claim11.
 25. A method of manufacturing a composite article containing aportion of a strip comprising: providing a web of a sheet material;forming longitudinally extending, transversely spaced dividing lines inthe web by which the web is divided longitudinally into a plurality ofside by side strip elements; the dividing lines being arranged such thateach strip element is longitudinally continuous through the length ofthe folded web; the dividing lines being arranged to diverge from aparallel straight condition such that each strip element varies in shapealong the length of the strip element; forming each strip element into apackage structure of the strip element for transportation and storage;withdrawing a strip element from the package structure at an assemblymachine; and cutting the withdrawn strip element at longitudinallyspaced positions into a series of identical strip portions each of whichis assembled with other components into a respective one of thecomposite articles.
 26. The method according to claim 25 wherein thestrip elements are shaped cyclically by the dividing lines to define aseries of cycles formed by a strip part of greatest width followed by astrip part of least width and wherein each identical strip portionincludes a single cycle.
 27. The method according to claim 26 whereineach identical strip portion is cut from the next at the part ofgreatest width.
 28. The method according to claim 25 wherein eachidentical strip portion is cut from the next at the part of least width.